A roundup of FFA news for the week of Oct. 29, 2015

WEST SALEM, Ohio — The Northwestern FFA chapter competed in the National Equine Judging FFA Career Development Event at The American Quarter Horse Congress, in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 14. Team members included: Emily Flinn, Marshall Geiger, Reiley Murphy, Shania Reed, and alternate Emily Finley. Adviser Heather Tegtmeier accompanied the team.

Northwestern FFA members competed in the State Soil Judging Contest, Oct. 17 in Perrysville, Ohio. Kierstyn Wood, Kaci Way, Emily Flinn, and Shania Reed made up the rural team, and placed fourth overall out of 43 teams. Way placed first overall individually. The team will compete in the national contest in Oklahoma in May.

The urban team included Philip Eberly, Reiley Murphy, Michael Nutter, and Austen Wood, and placed 18th overall out of 46 teams.

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SULLIVAN, Ohio — A Black River FFA team earned a trip to compete in the Horse Judging Career Development Event at the Eastern States Exposition, otherwise known as The Big E, in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

The team of Madison Edwards, Sierra Bourdess and Meghan Gallagher earned their spot by placing fourth in the Ohio contest. Edwards earned eighth place individually.

The horse judging competition consisted of judging four halter classes, four performance classes, identifying different types of tack and equipment, and taking written test, and completing a team problem. In addition, the girls had to present oral reasons for two of the classes.

The chapter’s annual fruit sale will run through Nov. 23, with delivery Dec. 9-10. In addition to the fruit, the chapter is also selling fruit baskets, an assortment of nuts, DB Yummers BBQ sauce, Country Meat beef sticks, and Cow Plop Bingo tickets (the bingo will take place at the Spencer Fourth of July festival). All proceeds from this year’s sale will be used to assist students in attending national and state conventions, FFA camp, career development events, and senior scholarships.

To make a purchase, contact a Black River FFA member or the Black River High School Agriculture Department at 419-736-3303, ext. 522.

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BELOIT, Ohio — West Branch FFA sent 14 students to the District 3 soil judging contest Oct. 2. The rural team placed fifth, with Neil Ginnetti leading the team, placing 18th individually. The urban team placed seventh, led by Tommy Barnett.

Recently, Homer Sanor allowed students to spend several days in his woods located next to the school. Two local foresters volunteered to teach students about managing timber, and students went through a chainsaw training crash course. The freshmen agriculture students spent three days learning to operate a tractor and were tested on their driving and backing skills, in preparation of taking tractor driving certification tests.

Chapter members will be traveling to Louisville, Kentucky, to attend the National FFA Convention Oct. 28-31.

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WHITEHOUSE, Ohio — The Anthony Wayne FFA had a float in the school’s homecoming parade. It was decorated with paper triangles made by each student in the agriculture classes. A total of 48 FFA members rode or walked with the float, passing out candy, rally towels, and FFA balloons.

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NEW WASHINGTON, Ohio — On Oct. 17, the Buckeye Central FFA’s soil judging teams participated in the Ohio FFA Association’s rural and urban soil judging career development event. The contest was held in Ashland County, near Pleasant Hill Lake Campground.

In the urban soils contest, the Red and Grey placed third out of 47 teams. This top five finish qualifies the urban team for the national land and range judging contest in the “home site” division. The urban team includes junior Tori Miller, and sophomores McKennah Corfman, Payton Phenicie and Wade Ackerman. Miller was 10th individually, and Corfman placed 12th. A total of 168 students participated in the contest.

This is the fourth consecutive year a chapter team has placed in the top five in Ohio and it is the third straight year the urban soils team has qualified for the national contest.

The chapter’s rural soil judging team won the state contest, making this the second state championship in three years for the chapter. Team members include senior Derek Kalb, sophomore Makayla Aichholz, and freshmen Adam Krebs and Grant Bishop. Kalb placed sixth as an individual, with Aichholz one point behind him and finishing seventh. Krebs followed with a 16th place, and Bishop finished in 49th of 166 participants.

Both teams will be traveling to the national land and range judging contest in Oklahoma May 2-6, 2016.

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ASHLAND, Ohio — The Crestview FFA welcomed guest speaker Osman Echeverria, from Honduras, during an Oct. 7 meeting. Echeverria came to share information on agriculture in his country. He is one of the directors at the El Sembrador School, in Honduras, where he manages the school farm.

During his presentation, he shared with classes the many differences between the ways of agriculture in the U.S. verses the ways of agriculture in Honduras. Members also took Mr. Echeverria on a tour of the high school to share with him what U.S. lives are like at school.